Point Dume by Katie Arnoldi

Author:Katie Arnoldi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABRAMS (Ignition)
Published: 2010-09-29T16:00:00+00:00

PABLO’S BUSINESS PLAN

EVERY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON I PARK MY VAN IN A DIFFERENT lot somewhere on the beach, arrange my wares on the table inside my camper, set up my lounge chair for optimal tanning, grab a book and wait for the customers to arrive. My location is broadcast by word of mouth. I have a bunch of regulars who always want the same thing—an ounce of this, two ounces of that. They find me and I’m always ready. In the old days, I used to make the rounds and deliver. Time and gas money right out the window. It was actually Ellis’ idea. “Make them come to you,” she said. That girl is a genius. I’ve been running things this way for the last couple of years and it works out really well. I’ve got more clients and I’m moving more product than ever. In fact, if I keep going at this rate I’m going to run out of product before the next harvest. I’ll definitely have to go bigger next season.

I only sell pot, local homegrown pot to the local population. No drugs. What started all those years ago with a little poaching in Dean Graulich’s backyard, when Ellis and I were twelve, has blossomed into a fulfilling career. It’s my life’s work.

“Cartel” is just an umbrella term; you understand that, right? People call it the “Mexican drug cartel” but it isn’t just Mexicans. We got all of Central and some of South America involved up here. It’s a regular United Nations. There’s a bunch of different organizations working these hills alone. They’re real clandestine, you gotta know what you’re looking for if you even want to get close to one of the sites. Here’s a tip: if you see a beat-up old truck, a small one like a Nissan or a ratty Toyota, driven by a couple of Hispanic guys, maybe the tires are a little bald or the tailgate is missing, and the bed of the truck is filled with normal gardening supplies but there’s no lawn mower—bingo. You’ve probably located yourself some low level operatives. There’s never a mower. See, ‘cause they don’t need one. Cracks me up. Maybe I should put out an APB.

I’ve spent my life wandering these hills—my entire life—and so it’s been easy for me detect new activity out in the backcountry. Why aren’t the cops more involved? Dude, to get to these camps you have to walk miles through nasty brush, tunnel through poison oak, deal with ticks and rattlesnakes and all kinds of unpleasant pests and chances are you’re still not going to find anything. The pot farmer is a master of stealth. Most of the entrances to the trails I’ve found are well concealed. They’ll tunnel through some really dense undergrowth, then cut a bunch of brush and form a sort of plug so that if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’d never guess that the pathway was there. The trails usually zigzag you on a wild goose chase and as often as not lead to a dead end.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.